By: Sapa
Workers engaged in rampant wildcat unprotected strikes across the country should return to work immediately, President Jacob Zuma said on Wednesday.

Emerging from a meeting with representatives of government, business and civic society at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, Zuma said the parties had agreed that spontaneous acts of intimidation and violence were affecting the economy.

"We call on workers who are engaged in unprotected strikes to return to work as soon as possible, and for production in the mining industry to normalise," he said.

"We agreed that violence and intimidation must come to an end. These have no role in our system and simply have a negative effect," said Zuma.

He said the Constitutionally enshrined right to protest must be exercised peacefully.

"We will not compromise on this. The parties fully support all lawful action by the justice, crime prevention and security cluster to stabilise communities and normalise daily lives across all communities," he said.

The frustrations and challenges of workers had been taken note of, said Zuma. He said legitimate grievances would be addressed.

Wednesday's meeting was a follow-up, following the initial summit held on Friday. The meetings are aimed at discussing problems facing the South African economy.

The closed-door meeting was attended by several government and other officials, including Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, and Joseph Mathunjwa, president of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu).

The summit coincides with the annual International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

The day, officially recognised by the United Nations, is aimed at raising awareness of the need to eradicate poverty across the world.

A statement on the presidency's website said the conference would discuss problems bedevilling South Africa emanating from slowing global economic growth, the industrial relations environment in the country, and the need to speed up the fight against poverty, inequality, and unemployment.

By: Terence Creamer
Embattled South African steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) has offered insight into the “fair pricing model” it has tabled before government in return for tariff protection and a government stipulation that locally manufactured steel be designated for...

By: Natasha Odendaal
Telecommunications group Telkom on Friday said it had posted a 1.7% uptick in net revenue for the three months to June 30, on the back of a strong performance by mobile on data revenue and higher fixed-line subscription revenue. Mobile net revenue for the first three...

By: Reuters
Dangote Cement revised its 2015 spending plans to $1-billion from the $700-million estimated nine months ago after it commissioned two new African plants this June, Nigeria's biggest listed company said on Friday. The company, majority owned by billionaire Aliko...

There are very few beacons of hope on South Africa’s economic horizon. Economic growth is weak, unemployment is rising, electricity supply is insufficient to meet demand and/or spur growth, with poor prospects for many of the commodities mined and exported. However,...

The statutory body responsible for skills development and support in the banking sector, BANKSETA, was investing R68-million in the capacity building project of the University of Venda (UniVen), announced Bankseta company secretary Caroline King at a media event in...

ARMANDÉ KRUGER
Balancing the collection and processing of data must be aligned to strategy

Many complementary services enable companies to derive broad value from data inside and outside them. The complexity of data management means that companies’ strategies determine the various data systems and functions they will use, says PBT Group regional sales...

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has announced that it had awarded the country’s first remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) pilot’s licence. It was issued on Friday, July 10, to SACAA employee and qualified commercial pilot Nicole Swart,...